Show your health - maintain a beautiful smile

3of5Keep a beautiful smile by brushing your teeth twice a day and flossing once a day.Photo: Fotolia

4of5*** FILE *** Dr. Christian Barnard of South Africa, Dr. Michael DeBakey of Huston, Tex. center, USA, and Dr. Adrian Kantrowitz of Brooklyn, N.Y., right, confer Dec. 24, 1967 in Washington, before appearing on the CBS television program "Face the Nation." Dr. Barnard is credited with performing history's first human heart transplant. DeBakey, the world-famous cardiovascular surgeon who pioneered such now-common procedures as bypass surgery and invented a host of devices to help heart patients, died Friday night July 11, 2008 at The Methodist Hospital in Houston, officials announced. He was 99. (AP-PHOTO/FILE)

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When "Happy Days'" Ralph Malph - aka Mouth - bragged that his teeth were so straight folks thought he was a movie star, he showed one of the perks of a great smile. But there are even more benefits! A healthy mouth gives you a younger MouthAge (just like you can have a younger RealAge!). And it means you're helping make sure you avoid cognitive problems, diabetes and heart disease, as well as tooth decay.

But if you live in Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Oklahoma City or Tampa, Fla., you want to pay special attention to your dental health, because those cities came in with the country's oldest MouthAge in RealAge's 2013 Top Youngest and Oldest Cities. For more details on the Smile Report (see where your city ranks), check out sharecare.com/smiles. To take the MouthAge test, go to sharecare.com/mouthage.

You know you should brush twice a day, floss once a day and see your dental health professional every six months. But here are more ways to stay healthy and keep that beautiful smile:

2 Take 1,000 IU of vitamin D-3 a day: D helps build strong teeth, until you get your blood level measured; take the amount that's right for you.

3 Drink tea: It's got natural fluoride to help prevent cavities.

4 Avoid foods and drinkswith added sugars or sugar syrups: Not only does sugar decay teeth, it contributes to obesity, which is associated with dental problems.

Don't get outta joint

When the French Impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir developed rheumatoid arthritis in the 1890s, there was nothing but mineral baths, aspirin and red wine to ease his pain and prevent his hands from becoming deformed. About 100 years later, in the 1980s, when heart surgeon Christian Barnard (he did the first heart transplant) was forced to retire because of rheumatoid arthritis' crippling effects, treatment options were still limited. (Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs, such as methotrexate, were just coming into widespread and effective use.)

Now, in the past decade, 10 approved biologic medications have become game changers. They promise great benefits (with some risks, such as increased infections and some cancers) when other treatments don't work. This has made doctors and patients more optimistic about slowing joint damage, preserving mobility - and even achieving remission.

So why do more than half of patients stop taking their medication or grudgingly switch therapies within two years? Almost 40 percent report that their meds aren't working the way they want them to, and 20 percent say it's because they are worried about side effects.

But having to try a new combination of medications is not failure; that's the process you have to go through to discover what works best for you. So let your doctor know your concerns and expectations and explain how your meds affect you. Chances are very good you will be rewarded with a new treatment plan that provides big improvements in your quality of life. Don't stop treatment; find out what works for you!

Q: My son is a high-school freshman, and he's going out for football this year. He's a big, strong, healthy kid, but he's outweighed by a lot of his teammates. There were big kids on the team when I was his age, but this is different. What's going on?

Tom T., Indianapolis

A: This might not come as a surprise, given the obesity epidemic in North America, but the U.S. has a record number of overweight athletes. Some sources say 45 percent of high-school linebackers are overweight. And in college teams, an estimated 16 percent of offensive linemen weigh in with extra-high body mass index, waist circumference and estimated body fat percentage. By the way, even in the NFL it's an issue: Its website has a page titled "Positive Taking Charge of Your Diabetes."

Why is the obesity crisis rolling over our fittest groups of male teens and young adults? Well, they're as likely to gobble fast, processed and fatty food as everyone else, and in the off-season, when their calorie expenditure drops, they often keep eating the same unhealthy calories as they did midseason. That causes big weight gain - putting an extra strain on the heart and kidneys and triggering joint pain and depression.

If you want to help your son avoid packing on fatty pounds, point out what a good player the Browns' wide receiver Travis Benjamin is at 5 feet, 10 inches tall and 175 pounds. And help him set out a nutritional plan that builds muscle, power and flexibility.

Avoid all beverages with added sugars and any sugar syrups (he'll have to read food labels).

Develop a taste for a variety of vegetables and make sure to eat them every day.

If, in the next couple of years, he develops into a really big guy and wants to play the line, convince him that it's better to emulate players like Michael Strahan (so big, so fast), not players like William "Refrigerator" Perry.